Lessok
by Portius
Summary: Lessok, a member of the bloody caste of Hallifax, hunts down a traitor in the city's lower wards. An epyllion written in the Hallifaxian style.


If I may beg you to remember your pains  
>inflicted by cowards, fools, and the ones<br>who flee your embrace, then I shall sing  
>of black-hearted treason, highest of crimes,<br>and he who bore the grim lash of justice,  
>cold-hearted Lessok, a bloody caste comrade.<br>Lessok pursued him, the one they called Maithoh  
>who had drunk deep of the mind-numbing wine<br>and tasted strange drugs, the slayers of reason  
>and found a taste for such things, came into the thrall<br>of the smoke-shrouded city, he sold secrets for more.  
>Mindless Maithoh had fled down to the lowest wards<br>and Lessok pursued him, walked with measured steps  
>went with prudent caution, went without haste.<br>Lessok searched for a witness, one who had seen  
>the traitor's retreat, seen where he had fled<br>and he found such a witness, he was halfway to treason.  
>Lessok spoke to that witness, his voice cold and clear.<br>"Speak now my comrade, and tell me the truth.  
>You have seen a man fleeing, men call him Maithoh<br>though you may not know him by name, you've seen his face  
>marred by decay, with a mouth full of rot<br>and with eyes that are empty, surely you've seen him?"  
>And the witness whispered words tinged with fear,<br>"Stalwart spear-comrade, I can see in your face  
>you have no lack of courage, fear does not hold you.<br>Not so for us all. I fear the cruel wrath  
>of the one that you seek, and those he calls friends.<br>What if you fail, what if long time reveals me  
>and Maithoh longs for revenge? Then I would perish<br>and serve our spires no more, so I beg indulgence.  
>Let me hold my silence, go ask another<br>who has seen where he went, and get your answer  
>from one without fear. Such men will assist you."<br>Lessok took a long breath, banished his anger  
>turned his mind on itself, maintained his control<br>and spoke to the coward, spoke with calm words.  
>"Quivering comrade, you need not have fear.<br>The traitor will perish, that much I can swear  
>and you shall live safely, for that is the duty<br>of the bloody caste comrades, and we do not fail."  
>With tears in his eyes, the witness addressed him,<br>with fear in his voice, the witness gave his reply.  
>"Noble shield-comrade, I think it is doubtless<br>that you mean what you say, and yet I feel fear.  
>Will you have mercy on me, and let me be silent,<br>I who wish only to serve in the safest of ways?"  
>Calming his wrath, Lessok spoke again softly<br>with ice in his voice, he spoke one more time.  
>"Fear is improper, you must cast it aside<br>lest it make you serve poorly. It cannot rule you.  
>Now speak what you saw, and now speak it quickly<br>or I shall do my grim duty, do you know what that is?  
>I shall grasp your hand tightly, and ask you again<br>what you have seen, and if you are still silent  
>I shall take your finger, and snap one small bone<br>and then in your pain, I shall ask you again  
>what you have seen, and if you are still silent<br>I shall do it again, and snap a second small bone.  
>If still you are silent, then I'll know the truth<br>that you lied before, that you are no coward  
>and some other thought has held your lips closed<br>and I shall take the knife that I wear on my belt  
>slide it under your nails, lever them upwards<br>one at a time, until at last you shall yield.  
>Duty demands that, and my duty binds me<br>though I weep in my heart to cause such a pain  
>to a comrade of Hallifax, it shall be done.<br>So speak, my comrade, and tell me the truth  
>that we two need not suffer, speak out at once."<br>Then at last he learned where Maithoh had gone,  
>the witness spoke quickly, said all that he knew<br>and Lessok left him in silence, returned to the chase.  
>He soon found the traitor, he had not fled far<br>he favored concealment over swift flight  
>but Lessok soon found him, his senses were keen.<br>When Maithoh saw him, he broke down in tears  
>and spoke to cold-hearted Lessok, pleaded for life.<br>"Comrade, my comrade, you who I can call brother  
>not for blood's sake, but by our shared devotion<br>to our sweetest mother, to our shining spires.  
>I have done a foul thing, I shall not deny it<br>for lies do not become me, and truth is still sweet  
>to a heart such as mine, I swear it is so.<br>I repent what I have done, deep in my heart  
>for I know it was evil, temptation held me<br>I submitted to vice, my soul was too weak.  
>Yet I am appalled by the things I have done<br>and still wish to serve, that I might make amends  
>for my black crimes. I beg you to let it be so."<br>Lessok regarded him coldly, and spoke his soft words.  
>"Our high laws have spoken. Would you deny them?<br>There are no exceptions, that is well known.  
>Our laws are heartless, and so they are pure.<br>They were shaped by pure reason and they are not tempted  
>by the foul fleeting passions that prey on us all<br>and lead us to folly, to chaos, and strife.  
>No, traitor Maithoh, do not plead for my mercy<br>for I cannot grant it. Did you never learn  
>that a law we ignore at our kind heart's urgings<br>is no law at all? I shall weep for your death  
>but it must be so. Law and order prevail.<br>If you would serve, if that is your desire  
>then one task lies before you, here is your duty.<br>Lay down your life gently, do not resist me,  
>die with all haste and return to the wheel."<br>Maithoh paused for only a moment, then spoke a reply  
>with hate in his voice and wrath in his eyes.<br>"Slave of the spires, I'll show you the truth  
>if words will not sway you, I'll break your mind<br>and shatter your thoughts and show you strange sights  
>and madness will take you, I shall make it so."<br>Then treacherous Maithoh tossed strange dust in the air  
>from a small pouch, it glittered gold in the light<br>and both breathed it in, Maithoh and Lessok.  
>Maithoh turned and he fled, his instincts ruled him<br>fear urged him onward, that fear without thinking  
>that drives beasts of the woods away from the hunter,<br>mindless fear ruled him, and he fled away.  
>Madness reached out for Lessok, grasped at his mind<br>as the strange drug took hold, bending his senses.  
>It showed him strange sights of blood and of slaughter<br>and rioting colours, bright lights and deep shadows  
>and creatures of terror, of blood-spilling death.<br>All that was mingled with sights that were fairer  
>of flesh and of life, which could bring desire<br>if they were not mingled with horror and blood.  
>It was more than sight that plagued cold-hearted Lessok<br>he heard the sea in his ears, the shriek of the wind  
>and the bleating of sheep being led to the slaughter.<br>And he smelled decay, the scent filled the air  
>and mingled quite freely with the heady perfumes<br>of the desert-bound harlots, and beyond that  
>he felt smoke in his lungs, burning and stinging,<br>it was a plague on the senses, a pox on his mind.  
>Lessok fell to his knees, he clutched at his head<br>as he felt madness coming, he felt the grim fear  
>of losing his mind, of shedding all virtue.<br>It could not be so, for he longed to serve  
>and mind-breaking madness is the death of all duty<br>the worst of all passion, he knew that was true.  
>He measured his breathing, took his breath slowly<br>as he had been taught as a child, long years ago  
>that he might make his soul still, conquer the madness<br>and rule over his mind as all good men do.  
>His panic faded, but his senses resisted<br>plagued him with falsehoods, sought to lead him astray.  
>He sought a distraction, turned his mind inward<br>that he might recall what he knew to be true  
>and ignore all the lies that danced in his senses.<br>He pondered the past, the sweet recollections  
>of those who served long ago, done their tasks well<br>and were rightly honored for the deeds they had done.  
>He thought of the paragons, and their fine example<br>their virtues and deeds, that he might remember  
>the virtues he had, and fight off the madness.<br>He thought of wise Thairee, the Skypainter's shard  
>she who had brought new sounds to the spires,<br>new instruments of her own devising  
>which had at first seemed quite inharmonious<br>but which had proven, in the fullness of time  
>that their voices were sweet, and that their tones<br>were revealed to be lovely, all they had required  
>was some measure of practice, finely-honed skill.<br>It had taken long years for her innovations  
>to take their final shape, and in that time<br>she had heard their ten thousand strange sounds.  
>During her experimentation, she had not gone mad.<br>With this recollection he focused his mind  
>against the dozen strange tones he heard in his head<br>and knew they would not harm him, they were not real  
>and if true tones had been harmless to Thairee,<br>why would false tones drive him mad? They were no threat.  
>Then he thought of brave Tetek, no stranger to war<br>who devised the shield wall, first ordered the lines  
>of spear-comrades in battle, banished confusion<br>from the blood-flooded fields of death-bringing war.  
>He had known the truth, that the carrion stench<br>of death and of pain, the screams of the wounded  
>and the terrors of war need not beget madness<br>if a mind could be trained to keep calm in the fight  
>and trust in his comrades, then order could prevail<br>even there, in the fierce grasp of grim war.  
>With that thought in his mind Lessok rallied his senses<br>and cast the madness aside, trusted his training,  
>focused his mind on what he knew to be certain<br>and ignored all the rest, thought of his duty.  
>Lessok rose up on his feet, grasped his spear tightly<br>and turned to his task, he began his pursuit  
>and ran with great haste and with a clear mind.<br>He soon found his foe, Maithoh moved without haste  
>for the drug still held his mind, so he was senseless<br>and had fled in a panic, fled without direction,  
>fleeing in circles, he had not fled very far.<br>Lessok addressed him, spoke in his cold voice,  
>"Now, traitor Maithoh, now stand and be ended<br>for the deeds you have done have earned you grim death,  
>as the law has decreed, so it must be."<br>Having spoken those words, Lessok struck out with his spear  
>pieced Maithoh's legs, the traitor fell to his knees.<br>Then cold-hearted Lessok laid his spear on the ground  
>and grasped Maithoh firmly, that he might be punished<br>in the traditional way. Lessok bound his arms tightly  
>and without any words brought him to the path's edge<br>and turned his eyes for a moment to the unfeeling sky.  
>Then his mind turned to action, Lessok grasped the wings<br>which had once been white, but had long been neglected  
>in favor of treason, and had many dark stains.<br>Lessok took those wings in his hand, and drawing a knife  
>cut each one away from the foul traitor's shoulders<br>and laid them down gently as he spoke soft words.  
>"Treacherous Maithoh, you have been condemned<br>in accord with the law, now your death has come.  
>As the law has decreed, I bring you your end<br>Lessok has killed you, now return to the wheel."  
>Speaking those words, looking down at the sky<br>he cast the treacherous Maithoh into empty air  
>and cast the bloody wings down after their master<br>who fell from the spires in drug-addled silence.


End file.
